Month: December 2012

“Whatever may be the future of architecture, in whatever manner our young architects may one day solve the question of their art, let us, while waiting for new monuments, preserve the ancient monuments. Let us inspire the nation with a love for national architecture.” ~ Victor Hugo

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.” ~ Dr. Seuss

“The major work of the world is not done by geniuses. It is done by ordinary people, with balance in their lives, who have learned to work in an extraordinary manner.” ~ Gordon B. Hinckley Boy balancing in a small banca (crude boat carved from a tree trunk) Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, captured in 2007 This reflecting image won in a photo competition a few years back. out ofThe Free Dictionary: From a given condition: came out of her trance. →

“I have been through a lot and have suffered a great deal. But I have had lots of happy moments, as well. Every moment one lives is different from the other. The good, the bad, hardship, the joy, the tragedy, love, and happiness are all interwoven into one single, indescribable whole that is called life. You cannot separate the good from the bad. And perhaps there is no need to do so, either.” ~ Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

“When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself.” ~ Chief Tecumseh Shawnee These locals run out to help boats coming in at dawn. In return, they get a few rewarded fish for breakfast from grateful fishermen. Shouldn’t humanity be as simple as this?

“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.” ~Eleonora Duse Wishing everybody a Christmas filled with unwavering hope, limitless love and bountiful blessings in life.

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” ― Barack Obama MY MINDANAO: PHOTOGRAPHS FOR HOPE opens tomorrow, December 18, at the Sulawesi Function Room, ground floor of Marco Polo Hotel Davao, from 9am until 10 in the evening. This special one day exhibit is for a cause. In our years of experience as photojournalists we have been lucky to be traveling around to document wonderful places, people and culture, and publish them. We have collected many images that depict the beauty of our islands. We truly believe that Mindanao is blessed with people who care for its natural resources and preservation. But Nature has its own course, as well. Last year after Typhoon Sendong, through the help of friends and a workshop (“Shoot for Hope”), we were able to raise money and deliver relief goods to …

“Nature is man’s teacher. She unfolds her treasures to his search, unseals his eye, illumes his mind, and purifies his heart; an influence breathes from all the sights and sounds of her existence”. ~Alfred Billings Street Languyon Bay, Baculin, Daanglungsod Baganga, Davao Oriental Jojie Alcantara, 2011

“When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts.” ― Mary Baker Eddy, Poems by Mary Baker Eddy

An island province in the southwestern tip of the Philippines, Tawi-Tawi is home to the Badjaos, indigenous ethnic groups referred to as “sea gypsies” who inhabit the shores and waters of the Sulu archipelago.

“Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty – they merely move it from their faces into their hearts.” ~Martin Buxbaum Old Bagobos in the highlands of Tudaya, Davao del Sur I met these people separately in the highlands of Kapatagan, Davao del Sur. Lola (our dialect for grandma, or respectful term for old woman) is an old Bagobo tribeswoman whose amiable character and sweet smile makes you want to hug her all the time. She agreed to pose for me inside her small and simple house. Lolo is an old mestizo I discovered sitting outside his home with a cane. He lives near a school. He has this quiet air of authority and dignity as he watched me approached him cautiously. Only then did he smile when I asked for a photo. Etched on their faces are tales of youth lived well and beautifully. Such is the human spirit of growing old. Time grows gentle with them as they become old, wise and wistful.

“Age should not have its face lifted, but it should rather teach the world to admire wrinkles as the etchings of experience and the firm line of character.” ~ Clarence Day Lumad portrait in black and white: Matigsalogs of Marilog District, Davao LUMAD is a term for a group of indigenous peoples of the southern Philippines. It is a Cebuano term meaning “native” or “indigenous”, or a collective identity of the non-Islamized indigenous peoples of Mindanao. The peace-loving Ata Matigsalog (or Matigsalug) is a tribal group found in the hinterlands of Bukidnon and the mountain districts of Davao City. This tribal woman was laughing uncontrollably during our shoot. I waited for her to warm up to me and lose her shyness. Some portraits are better viewed in black and white, especially in emphasizing character lines and and making use of drama. But you be the judge. 🙂 Here is my colored version

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